Mid Atlantic Brewing News August/September 2012 : Page 1

MABN OD & BE FO ISSUE ER By Greg Kitsock 2 01 2 BEER IN FOOD, FOOD IN BEER Gets a Makeover: By Alexander D. Mitchell IV ONCE A PICKLE... Sam Calagione of Dog ﬁ sh Head Craft Brewery and Shamus Jones of Brooklyn Brine clink glasses on a successful collaboration. PHOTO COURTESY OF DOGFISH HEAD DOGFISH GETS PICKLED D BETTER WITH BACON. Nick Argo, sous chef at Dempsey's Brew Pub at the Orioles Park at Camden Yards, presents an order of Bacon On a Stick. PHOTOS BY ALEXANDER D. MITCHELL IV Burgers Give Way to Duck Tongues, Pig Ears and Quail hat do Baltimore’s beer bars have against ducks? Bird lovers might cry “fowl” at the thought of French fries fried in duck fat. But “duck butter” and grilled duck tongues? It’s all part of a culinary scene in Charm City that has many craft-beer-centric restaurants raising the bar higher for dining enthusiasts. No longer content with the old burgers-and-fries pub grub of old, bars in Baltimore (and elsewhere) are offering more ambitious offerings -everything from Scotch eggs to sweetbreads (organ meats) to crispy pig ears. Offering such exotic selections in a craft beer venue can be a risky proposition. The popular wisdom is that a restaurant should focus on one specialty. A long beer list, H See Pub Grub p. 6 INSIDE Book Review.................................. 5 Homebrew ...................................10 Fairy Hopmother ........................12 Matters of Import .......................13 Maps ...................................... 18-21 Brewhaha ....................................35 Event Calendar ............................39 State by State News Virginia ...........14 C. Penn ............22 Philadelphia ...24 E. Penn ............26 Maryland ........27 Baltimore ........30 W. Virginia ......32 D.C. ..................33 New Jersey .....34 Delaware ........36 og ﬁ sh Head owner Sam Calagione has experimented widely with beer cuisine, soaking the mushrooms in his mac and cheese in 90 Minute IPA , serving bread pudding ﬂ avored with Chicory Stout , and baking hop-oil brownies. is chef Dennis Marcoux has even used Peanut Butter Vodka from the Dog ﬁ sh distillery to make peanut butter-and-jelly ice cream sandwiches. Get ready for Sam’s latest brain-storm: the Hop-Pickle. As Sam recalls, last fall he was drinking his 60 Minute IPA and snacking on pickles from Brooklyn Brine, a three-year-old company that began in borrowed kitchen space and now operates a retail shop in New York City selling 14 types of pickles and assorted other fermented vegetables. “I thought ohmigosh!” he recalls, amazed at how the combination of pickle and beer accentuated the “earthy bitterness” that both shared. He suggested a collaboration to Sha-mus Jones, owner of Brooklyn Brine, and discovered a kin-dred spirit who emailed back, “I love Dog ﬁ sh, let’s do this.” The Hop-Pickle debuted at June’s Fancy Food Show held June 17-19 at Washington, DC’s Walter E. Washington Convention Center. The Huff-ington Post named it one of the See Pickled p, 8 ILLUSTRATIONS BY: HANS GRANHEIM Dog ﬁ sh Head 60 Minute IPA being added to pickles at Brooklyn Brine, now a retail shop in New York City selling 14 types of pickles and assorted other fermented vegetables.

Pub Grub

Alexander D. Mitchell IV

Gets a Makeover:<br />
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Burgers Give Way to Duck Tongues, Pig Ears and Quail<br />
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What do Baltimore’s beer bars have against ducks?<br />
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Bird lovers might cry “fowl” at the thought of French fries fried in duck fat. But “duck butter” and grilled duck tongues?<br />
<br />
It’s all part of a culinary scene in Charm City that has many craft-beer-centric restaurants raising the bar higher for dining enthusiasts. No longer content with the old burgers-and-fries pub grub of old, bars in Baltimore (and elsewhere) are offering more ambitious offerings - everything from Scotch eggs to sweetbreads (organ meats) to crispy pig ears.<br />
<br />
Offering such exotic selections in a craft beer venue can be a risky proposition. The popular wisdom is that a restaurant should focus on one specialty. A long beer list, Including cask ale and beer cocktails, can be daunting enough. But as craft beer spreads to more venues, many find it necessary to distinguish themselves in the kitchen as well as at the taps.<br />
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The standard setter, at least for Maryland, has been The Brewer’s Art. For over 15 years the brewpub has displayed multiple personalities, with one of the region’s finest restaurants adjoining an airy upstairs bar and sitting atop a grotto basement bar.<br />
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Recent offerings at The Brewer’s Art have included a smoked fish appetizer, Stinging Nettle-Ricotta Gnocchi, Rabbit “Pot Pie” and a "breakfast" offering of Seared Duck Scrapple, Sunny Side Up Duck Egg, Hot Sauce and Bourbon Barrel Aged Maple Syrup Griddled Resurrection Rye. They’ve long offered pan-roasted sweetbreads with quail egg. Even a pork chop comes with Ramp Spätzle and Rhubarb-Lime Compote. (Fear not; there’s a more ordinary cheeseburger lurking on the bar menu.)<br />
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“Some of [the menu selection] is beerdriven, but more of it is chef-driven,” says Brewer’s Art co-owner Volker Stewart, a native of Germany. “Obviously we want food that pairs well with beer, but when it comes to ingredients, we frequently reach to things that may come across as weird but are quite traditional ingredients like rabbit, quail and sweetbreads.” <br />
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“Years ago we ran some things that just didn't wash, but I have found that the culinary scene in Baltimore has really matured. Pork belly, which did not go over that well in the early 2000's, is now selling like crazy. When we served rare/medium rare duck breast in 1997, it was sent back as undercooked 75% of the time. Now people love it.”<br />
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Invasive Species Can be Delicious <br />
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Nearby, Alewife Baltimore’s menu takes a different direction. “The choice to serve what some may call unusual is in no way connected to the beer we serve. How we prepare the dish, however, is directly related to what's on tap, and in season,” says executive chef Chad Wells.<br />
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Wells’ selections revolve around sustainable and ecologically sensitive food choices. They include both a rejection of industrial agriculture (hormones, genetically modified foods) and warfare against invasive species such as snakehead and blue catfish (both caught in the Potomac River), as well as wild boar and lionfish … all of which have wound up on the menu. By serving “alternative proteins” and supporting local farmers, “I can help take a dent out of big beef and big agriculture,” says Wells. “As chefs, we have a lot more power to influence what people consume in their everyday lives outside of the restaurant than what some of us realize.”<br />
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“When we run these dishes as specials - usually announced via my Twitter - they generally sell out before the end of dinner service. Our blue catfish tacos have actually proven to be our second highest-selling menu item since they were introduced to our menu about a year ago. That's a lot of dead blue catfish!” <br />
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Other unusual offerings have included turtle, alligator, frog, venison and quail. As for the duck fat fries? “I serve them because they bring a nice fatty richness to the common potato that smells amazing and pairs perfectly with just about any beer.” <br />
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Even bars serving more mainstream tastes have also had to adapt. Dempsey’s, the new brewpub in Oriole Park at Camden Yards, offers Bacon on a Stick: an appetizer of six pieces of slab bacon cooked with maple syrup (call your cardiologist afterwards). The Heavy Seas Alehouse in Harbor East offers beer-roasted sweet-and-spicy pecans and seasonal vegetables such as sauteed Brussels sprouts and summer sweetcorn.<br />
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Gypsy Brewer, Gypsy Chef <br />
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But most ambitious of all has to be the new Of Love and Regret gastropub on Brewers Hill. This joint project of Stillwater “gypsy brewer” Brian Strumke and Jack’s Bistro chef Ted Stelzenmuller offers such exotica as crispy pig ears, Singapore-style Hianese chicken (served cold), and an appetizer of grilled duck tongues. A recent special was “duck butter,” chilled duck fat infused with garlic and thyme, served with capers, pickles and onion bread.<br />
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“Brian's beers are incredibly unique,” said Stelzenmuller. “They also tell a story of Brian's view of the world and pull inspiration from the particular region of the world where he is inventing and brewing them. When he is off in Denmark or Scotland conjuring ideas for beers, I am in Hong Kong or Morocco doing the same with food. We both have the same end goal. That is bringing the best of our world travels through our palates and creations of food and drink.” <br />
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But duck tongues? Seriously? “The duck tongues and pig ears are our two bestselling appetizers. Guests are coming in and finding that they do enjoy these eclectic offerings. Oftentimes they have never been exposed to them before. And for those that are familiar with these ingredients, it brings smiles to their faces.” <br />
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Maybe ducks should flee Baltimore, but where would they go? The Chesapeake Bay? They had better avoid Solomons, Md. Despite the welcoming name, the Ruddy Duck Brewery, named for the species that migrates between Argentina and the Mid-Atlantic, offers “Duck-a-Dilla” quesadillas, BBQ duck pizza and duck spring rolls.

Beer In Food, Food In Beer

Greg Kitsock

Dogfish Head owner Sam Calagione has experimented widely with beer cuisine, soaking the mushrooms in his mac and cheese in 90 Minute IPA, serving bread pudding flavored with Chicory Stout, and baking hop-oil brownies. <br />
<br />
His chef Dennis Marcoux has even used Peanut Butter Vodka from the Dogfish distillery to make peanut butterand- jelly ice cream sandwiches. Get ready for Sam’s latest brainstorm: the Hop-Pickle.<br />
<br />
As Sam recalls, last fall he was drinking his 60 Minute IPA and snacking on pickles from Brooklyn Brine, a three-year-old company that began in borrowed kitchen space and now operates a retail shop in New York City selling 14 types of pickles and assorted other fermented vegetables.<br />
<br />
“I thought ohmigosh!” he recalls, amazed at how the combination of pickle and beer accentuated the “earthy bitterness” that both shared. He suggested a collaboration to Shamus Jones, owner of Brooklyn Brine, and discovered a kindred spirit who emailed back, “I love Dogfish, let’s do this.” The Hop-Pickle debuted at June’s Fancy Food Show held June 17-19 at Washington, DC’s Walter E. Washington Convention Center. The Huffington Post named it one of the Top 15 “best bites” from over 180,000 products featured at the show, terming it “the most hipster thing you’ve ever seen.” <br />
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Brooklyn Brine uses an apple cider vinegar as the base for its brine. For the Hop-Pickle, the company adds Dogfish Head 60 Minute IPA and Cascade hop oil, along with some sweet caramelized onions (to balance the bitterness) and habanero peppers.<br />
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“There’s some heat from the peppers, but most of the explosive flavor is from the hops,” says Calagione. The brine is boiled at 200 degrees for about an hour-and-a-half before the pickles are immersed in it, states Jones, which evaporates the alcohol. You don’t have to card anyone before you serve them a Hop-Pickle, and they’re safe to consume during pregnancy.<br />
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The pickles are sold in chunky slices in a 16-oz jar; they cost $8 if you buy them at Brooklyn Brine’s store at 574A President Street in Brooklyn, or for a few more dollars if you purchase them from a chain like Whole Foods or Williams-Sonoma or through an Internet delivery service like Washington’s Green Grocer. You can find a complete list of outlets at http://brooklynbrine. Blogspot.com. <br />
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The demand is great enough, adds Jones, that he wants to import 60 Minute IPA in 278-gallon vessels denatured with salt so the government no longer considers it a beverage and doesn’t subject it to the laws and taxation governing alcoholic drinks.<br />
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Incidentally, the Hop-Pickle isn’t Calagione’s first encounter with cucumbers. Last year, he was one of several brewers collaborating on Repoterroir, a one-off brew made for a beer dinner at Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. In Chico, Calif. The vegetable-and-spice beer contained liquid cucumbers, beets and carrots, as well as mint, rice, alfalfa honey and beechwood-smoked malt. One of the few remaining kegs showed up for a Sierra Nevada tap takeover at ChurchKey in Washington, DC this past June. The beer had notes of mint and dill and a faint hint of smoke, but, thankfully, no carrots or beets.<br />
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Sierra Nevada has no plans to reproduce that recipe. However, Calagione raised the possibility of using pickled brine in a beer, “maybe with our friends at Birreria,” his New York City rooftop brewpub.